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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22588873">Burnt Feather</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/m4delin/pseuds/m4delin'>m4delin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Youtube RPF, markiplier - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventures, M/M, Rating May Change, Slight Supernatural Elements, injuries, mature rating bc there will be violence, non descriptive violence, tags will change, winged!Yancy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:27:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,648</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22588873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/m4delin/pseuds/m4delin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yancy have always been curious on humans and liked to watch them. After an impulse desicion, he meets an interesting human and decides to follow him. He wasn't expecting to become attached to him though.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>ILY - Relationship, Illinois/Yancy, Yancy/Illinois, yanois</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I'm Free</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've had this concept for a while and wanted to write it but been low on energy lately so ut's been hard to muster strength to actually write. I've written around 2 more chapters, but the story is far from over. It's just begun. So I don't know how often I will upload, but I wanted share what I've done so far. I hope you enjoy anyway what I can share with you</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Pat. Pat. Pat.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Up and down. Up and down. With a simple flick of his wrist, the ball was sent flying up in the air, almost touching the bottom of the bed above him, before gravity pulled it down once again and he caught it. No matter how many times he seen it, and experienced it, he was always fascinated by gravity. Especially with how humans always wanted to defy it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pat. Pat. Pat.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But right now he was bored. It was still early morning and he had been unable to sleep for several nights now. Not that he needed sleep anyway. It was frustrating, seeing that sleep was easy to do to pass time, but even he could only get so much sleep in a certain amount of time even if that amount are stretched out compared to a human.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was so. Fucking. Bored.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pat. Pat.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Already awake, Yancy?” came the voice of Mr. Murder-Slaughter from the corridor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy’s eyes flew over to the cell door, a bit startled since he hadn’t heard the man approach. And then he flinched as the ball hit him in the face. “Ouch,” he muttered, more out of a reflex than it actually hurting, and rubbed his forehead, sitting up to properly face the warden. “Mornin’. What do I have the honor to have youse vistin’ me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Murder-Slaughter narrowed his eyes slightly as he regarded the prisoner. “Let’s get straight to the point. Parole is coming up for you. In fact, it’s in two days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that Yancy’s eyes widened. He hadn’t realized, or even thought about it. Usually he would’ve done something about it by now, but he suppose he lost track of it this time around. Maybe that’s a hint for him that it’s time to get out, he mused. He’d been here for years anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just wanted to make sure you’ll behave during the coming days. Don’t want you to be stuck in prison for life, now would we.” A raised eyebrow along with the words made Yancy almost laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He flashed the warden a smile. “Don’tcha worry, Mr. Murder-Slaughter, I’ll be on my best behaviour. Actually thinkin’ of takin’ up the offer for once.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Murder-Slaughter looked surprised to say the least, but he soon schooled his expression into a pleased one. “Alright, sounds good. The morning call are around the corner, the day is about to begin.” With that, the other man turned around and left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That… wasn’t what Yancy was expecting, to be honest. Leaning his elbows on his legs, he dragged both of his hands over his face but pausing both hands covering his mouth and nose. He hadn’t planned to leave this prison for quite some time still, but that’s what he gets for being impulsive. And he can’t just back out of this semi-promise, can he? With a frustrated noise he reached for the ball and threw it at the opposite wall, making it bounce back. After catching it, he repeated the action.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take long before the shrill alarm of the wake up call rang through the corridor, followed by a chorus of groans of people still wanting to sleep. Yancy couldn’t help but to chuckle, catching the ball. Standing up and walking to the cell door, he found himself singing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s time to be free.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Goodbye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The last two days was interesting to say the least. The word about Yancy accepting his parole were spread like a wildfire, disbelief present in many of the other prisoners. He had always been the one who obviously didn’t want to leave, so what changed now? When confronted with it, Yancy just laughed and shrugged. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s time for me to go, y’know? Ain’t anything else about it.’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>People still didn’t believe him. That was fair, he supposed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Tiny approached him and gave him a shiv with a pointed look, he couldn’t help but to laugh and give her a hug. When Shithole Hank gave him a bottle of wine with a sad look, all he could do was to say thank you. Jimmy the Pickle just grabbed his head with one of his giant hands and stared at him, his grip firm enough that he couldn’t escape but not hard enough to hurt Yancy. Yancy patted his hand comfortingly and told him that everything would be fine. Bambam and Sparkles McGee pulled out another song number, just for him and for one night they sang together one last time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The night before the big day, he was forced to go around and change everyone’s memory of him. He wouldn’t erase himself from them, no, but he needed to alter it just enough that it wouldn’t look that strange that he suddenly accepted parole without a reason. It was easiest to make it look like he had never gotten a chance at parole before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite that it was supposed to be easy to alter their memories, he was utterly exhausted by the time he was done. That’s what he gets for not using his powers in over a decade. He’d crashed onto the bed and slept for the first time in six days.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now, Yancy stands on the other side of the fence after years in prison. It was an odd feeling to say the least. The air felt just like in the yard, the grass was just as green and the clouds were the same. There were a single road leading away from the prison and in the distance Yancy could see the cab Mr. Murder-Slaughter had ordered for him. There was a forest, but it was about 100 meters from the fence so it was mostly open space up to the treeline. It made his back itch like it always does when he’s in an open space, but as usual he ignored it. It wasn’t exactly hard to do so by now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head to clear it as the cab stopped by him. Since he didn’t have much more than a backpack containing the few things he owned, he just slipped into the backseat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The driver looked surprised and gave him a hesitant look. “You’re Yancy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s me. Just drop me off in town,” Yancy grumbled and sunk into the seat, not feeling up for some small chat with the driver. Without a word, the driver pulled away from the almost non-existent sidewalk, the music turned up to drone out the silence that settled in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t intend to, but Yancy soon found himself drifting off.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know that this is short, but please bare with me. You will get a treat real soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Pleasure to Meet You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Valentines day! This is my treat to you guys! Hope you enjoy the sudden increase of length of the chapter xD</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yancy wasn’t sure what to do with himself now that he was out. He supposed he could try to find a job, just to see what kind of jobs that are around this time, but he wasn’t really in need of the money. And work sounded a bit too boring right now. With a frustrated sound, he ruffled his hair. He might’ve stomped a little harder than before too, but he wouldn’t admit that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s been drifting around town for a few days now, finding places to sleep and eat if he felt up for it, but otherwise he just... walked around. He almost wished he was back at the prison, where he knew the routines and the people there. There were always something to do, even if it wasn’t some kind of big adventure. He missed his gang.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But here he was now, staring up the big, gray building of the town’s museum. It doesn’t really look like a museum, the building looking too new and the windows too big. Yancy always thought that museums were supposed to be older buildings with a history containing pieces of history from other parts of the world. Despite him living on the surface for decades, he still didn’t get humans. They are just plain weird.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a sigh, and nothing better to do, he entered the building. After paying the entrance fee, he walked around slowly amongst the art works displayed and all the artefacts. Guards were walking around as well, and Yancy pretended not to notice their suspicious looks towards him. They probably saw his tattoos. As much as he wanted to tell them to fuck off, he refined himself from doing so, if only because he didn’t feel like dealing with the trouble it would cause. He still felt a bit drained on energy since he altered everyone’s memory at the prison. That in itself probably wasn’t a good sign but he shrugged it off as he didn’t want to use his powers anyway. He wanted to be as human as possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The history each piece had in the museum was interesting. He’d read on the history of the world in prison but he were only able to request so much specific books before people started to raise eyebrows at him. At least he’d been able to study gravity in greater detail than other things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What Yancy wasn’t expecting was the feeling of something brushing against him as he walked past a closed door. He froze on the spot, barely daring to breath. No one was in this corridor beside him and there aren’t anything that can be invisible to him. With a mixture of curiosity and worry, he backed up two steps and stared at the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yup, something that </span>
  <em>
    <span>shouldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> be there was behind that door. Something maybe, probably, most certainly very bad. He was 98% sure that it was bad at least.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ruffled his hair in frustration as he debated with himself. “This ain’t my business. It got nothin’ to do with me,” he muttered and turned his back to the door. “I don’t have that responsibility anymore, I’m my own person and fuckin’ hell!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The presence was pressing heavily on him, making sure that he knew that if any human would handle this, they would go insane. Really though, if they brought it here, they probably could handle it. He hoped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But something old inside him protested against his inner chant. Something he hoped he had buried when he started to walk on the earth. But then again, that was also the </span>
  <em>
    <span>reason</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was down at the surface. He’s curious about humans in a way that many of his kin found strange and, if he dared to admit it, he did love humans. They were the reason why he Fell at all. And he wouldn’t really forgive himself if humans got hurt just because he turned his back on this, now that he knew about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a defeated sigh, he turned back to the door and cautiously put a hand on the handle. It was locked and it wasn’t a simple lock either so he couldn’t just simply pick it. Meaning that he would need to use his powers. Again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a deep breath and sent a tiny amount of power through his fingertips into the door. It immediately responded with a soft click, indicating that the lock was open now. He turned his hand and pushed the door open, carefully looking around. No one was inside and beside some chairs and tables stacked together against the walls, the only thing of interest was a glass or crystal figurine inside of a glass case. The odd thing about it was that the figurine’s eyes were covered by a cloth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Frowning, Yancy walked over to the case and gave the figurine a closer inspection. Now he could see that it was made of crystal and that it was in the shape of a monkey. How peculiar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sudden deep, smooth voice coming behind Yancy made him jump. He swiftly turned around, his hands lifted into a fighting position. Behind him were a man with tanned skin showing from the rolled up sleeves of the shirt and a whip hanging to teh belt holding up the trousers. Black hair were poking out under the hat he was wearing and the brown eyes were giving him a curious look. The man flashed him a smile, though it did seem a bit cautious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, I ‘spose,” Yancy mumbled and lowered his hands. At that the other stepped forward and walked towards Yancy, making him tense. But instead of stopping in front him, the man side stepped him and stopped beside him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy turned towards him cautiously, not wanting to get anymore surprised than he’d been so far. Seriously, how are everyone able to sneak up on him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man didn’t seem to mind him as he raised his right hand and tapped the glass case, his left behind his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They say it’s a cursed monkey relic from Brazil. Dunno how cursed it is, but it sure cause some trouble.” At this Yancy received a glance. “You’re not here to steal it, are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again Yancy frowned as he looked at the figurine. He suppose that he was here to steal it after all, but admitting that would get him in trouble. “No. Somethin’ pulled me in here,” he said instead because that wasn’t really a lie. The fact that it was his own guilt over leaving that thing here were the thing that made him go inside, wasn’t needed to be told.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah. I see.” The man straightened his back slightly, looking more relaxed than before. He flashed Yancy a smile again, way more charming than the last. “Name’s Illinois. The museum hired me to take the relic back to where it belongs. Causes too much trouble over here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was intriguing. From what Yancy could tell, Illinois were completely human. And humans usually gets affected by cursed things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could respond to that, there were loud footsteps approaching the door. Both of them turned towards the newcomers. A woman entered the room, with guards behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, Mrs. Croft! I see that you couldn’t wait any longer to be in my presence,” Illinois said with a tip of his hat. She gave him a disapproving frown, obviously used to his flirtiansions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were supposed to meet in my office 30 minutes ago. Typical of you to already be by the relic,” Mrs. Croft said with a tired voice. Then her eyes slid over to Yancy. He found himself straightening his back a little under her gaze. “Who are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s my new assistant. Was thinking that since you’ve had huge problems with the relic effecting people, even behind closed doors, that I would need some back up. The curse is a nasty one after all,” Illinois said smoothly and if Yancy didn’t already know that it was a lie, he would’ve been inclined to believe him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mrs. Croft opened her mouth but Yancy interrupted her because dammit, people seriously should just let him talk sometimes. “Yous can call me Yancy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She just looked at him for a few seconds before her eyes gave Illinois a look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I usually work alone, and I met him after you called me to that first meeting. Don’t worry, his tickets are fixed. I apologize for not mentioning him on the phone earlier.” Yancy had to give it to Illinois, he’s a good liar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mrs. Croft looked tired. “Alright. Okay. You have all the details from before, Mr. Jones, I trust you have filled up your assistant. The guards will escort you to the airport and give you the final papers. Just get that damn thing away from here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy almost missed how Illinois mumbled “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll fill him up alright</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” making Yancy splutter in surprise and forcing him to mask it as coughs. Mrs. Croft just gave him a tired look which he replied with a “Sorry, recoverin’ from a cold.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced at Illinois and the man noticed, giving him a slow wink with a grin. Yancy wasn’t sure if he wanted to strangle the man over that comment or just go invisible and make everyone just forget about him. Both were very tempting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he did neither and they were escorted out to a car by the guards. Another guard came a bit after they settled in, carrying a box which Yancy felt contained the figurine. The box was given to Illinois and after that they were on their way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To be honest, Yancy wasn’t sure what just happened. One moment he had tried to talk himself out of helping the humans out by taking away the figurine, and the next a human coerced him into accompany said human when he delivered the figurine back to its homeplace. At least he would get something to do from all this.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>During the drive, Yancy once again tapped into his power to give himself a ticket to the flight they were supposed to take and create a concealer for the relic to lessen the effect of the curse. He felt bone tired after that and really, he probably should look into why this is draining him so much. He’d done way more advanced stuff before so this was getting a bit worrying. Especially now that he might need to use it more since he apparently have a partner, so he needs to be careful. Don’t want to collapse of sleep all of a sudden.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They didn’t get much time at the airport as they were immediately escorted to the security check. Both of them went through it easily, especially with the papers Illinois received from one of the guards. Meaning that they didn’t get much time to talk about this partner thing before they were on the plane. Yancy didn’t miss Illinois curious looks when he all of a sudden had a ticket to the flight, and apparently the seat beside him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then they were finally in the air and Yancy sunk into the seat. He’d almost drifted off to sleep when he felt someone poke him. Grumbling, he glanced at his companion. Illinois were giving him a smile and a curious look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So. Your name is Yancy, is it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He supposed that they were doing this now, probably the first time they’ve been semi-alone since Illinois sneaked up on him. Most people around them were strangers so there weren’t many people who could expose their lies. “That’s me,” he said as he sat up properly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A hand was stretched out in front of him. “Pleasure to meet you,” Illinois said a pleased voice. Yancy shook it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, what’s youse deal with the museum? And why would you lie on the spot like that for me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other looked thoughtful. “You looked like you needed an adventure. And you got into a locked room without a problem. You’re a curious man, Yancy. And the fact that you are indeed quite handsome are an added bonus.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy narrows his eyes at Illinois. “Are yous always such a flirt?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois only winked at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He chuckled and shook his head. “And what about the museum? Why are yous deliverin’ a cursed figurine?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that Illinois shrugged and took off his hat. “It’s my job. Apparently I have some resistance towards curses and influences, so it’s easy money. I’ve helped this specific museum before, it’s like its attracting bad things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hummed as he contempled what he’d been told. That’s certainly an interesting gift Illinois has and it feels like he shouldn’t be surprised. Humans adopt too easily to things beyond their understanding, but if it’s for better or worse remained to see. This might turn out fun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about you? How did you get into that room? Why did you enter it in the first place?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy sighed. “I didn’t lie y’know. Felt somethin’ bad behind the door and didn’t want anyone innocent gettin’ caught in that.” He could see Illinois studying him in the corner of his eye. “As for how I got in, a man ain’t tellin’ his secrets.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois huffed a short laugh, making Yancy look at him properly. “And the airplane ticket? I doubt this all is a coincidence.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy shrugged and looked away. “Pulled some strings. Ain’t anymore about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fair enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beside naps, the flight were filled with casual talk and Illinois filling Yancy in on what they were supposed to do. Yancy found the man pleasant to talk to, despite his various attempts at flirting. He also found out that Illinois usually flirted with everyone after he made the flight attendant blush fiercely. It was an amusing sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked forward to work him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Followed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yancy were woken up by a poke to his side, making him grumble and swat away the offending thing. Laughter and the intensifying of the poking made him crack an eye open only to be met by the face of a very amused Illinois.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, sleeping beauty, the plane have landed and it’s time for us to get off.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy closed his eyes and let out a whine. It felt like he’d gotten run over by a truck and all he wanted to do was to continue to sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously Yancy, we’ll be at the hotel soon, but first we need to get off this plane. The relic are starting to affect people in here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that Yancy sat up, alarmed. Immediately he shot out a concealing power over the statue to dim its effect. But it simply fizzled out the moment it left his body and he groaned as another wave of tiredness crashed against him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, you’re starting to make me worry. Come on, we need to go.” Illinois tugged at his arm and Yancy forced himself to get up. Huh. They were the last ones on the plane.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a shake of his head, Yancy shuffled out of their row and took down his backpack and headed for the door. His body were protesting the whole way and he barely mustered enough strength to nod to the flight attendant. The dark circles under their eyes worried him as it made them look haunted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois slid up beside him, his own backpack containing the relic over his shoulder. “Are you alright? You fell asleep in the middle of our conversation and now you look like you’ve taken a drink too much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Waving his hand dismissively, Yancy focused on getting to the bag drop area. “Lot of things happened lately, just exhausted. Need rest in a proper bed.” Yancy didn’t see Illinois face, but he did hear the non-believing hum from the man.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. Find a seat while we wait for my bag to come by. Don’t want you to collapse on me, at least not before we get to the hotel.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy couldn’t help but to snort at that. “Then I’m free to have a heart attack, yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Absolutely! Good to have a private place when I need to do CPR on you,” Illinois said with a wink.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Yous ain’t kissin’ me with that mouth of youses.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois were clearly amused by that. “Alright, no kissing. Then I’ll just sensually drag my hands over your chest.” Laughter erupted from him as Yancy shoved him with a scowl on his face. But it soon softened as he began to laugh as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They arrived at the bag drop area and Illinois shooed Yancy to a bench where he could sit down. Yancy appreciated it and his body screamed in relief when he finally were sitting down again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With closed eyes and leaning against the wall, he couldn’t help but to wonder. He had tried to cover up the relic with his power to hinder the curse to affect anyone, and he did succeed, but only for a couple of hours before he had promptly fallen asleep. And the fact that the power fizzled out the moment it left his body? It was worrisome and Yancy knew he needed to check it up. He shouldn’t be this exhausted despite the fact of him never using his powers for a decade until now. Maybe he could get in contact with Jackie, he knew probably more about this than Yancy anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opened his eyes when he felt being watched. An older man were halting towards the bench Yancy sat on. Yancy moved a little so he could sit down and the elder beamed a smile to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, young lad!” The old man huffed as he slowly sat down. “Traveling always drain me. But it’s always worth it to visit the grandkids!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy hummed and leaned his head back again, intending to rest a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say, are you traveling alone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He held back a groan as the man seemed to want to talk. Opening his eyes, he turned his head towards the man. “Travelin’ with a friend. We’re on vacation.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s absolutely lovely! Any planned sight you and your friend are going to?” The man positively shined with the fact he had someone to talk to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy shrugged and let his eyes wander over the people walking and waiting for the bag drop to start bringing in the luggage. “We’ll just drift around really. Takin’ it easy, rest, y’know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A pair of adventurers, eh? Hah! Reminds me of my old days-” Yancy began to tune out the old man, making some noises to let the man he was listening after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes landed on a person who seemed to be staring at him, but the moment Yancy locked eyes with them, they turned their face away. Yancy frowned. Worry began to bubble up in his stomach, he wasn’t getting a good feeling from this. But the person didn’t look back at him so Yancy let his eyes continue to wander around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The exclamation from the old man brought Yancy’s attention to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seems like the bags are coming in now! Better fetch mine so my granddaughter doesn’t have to wait for me much longer.” He gave Yancy another smile. “It’s been a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you for entertaining an old man!” With that, he wobbled away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy waved after him before leaning back again. Hopefully he could close his eyes for a minute at least before Illinois came back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unluckily, it didn’t take long after the old man left that Illinois poked him awake, his bag behind him. Yancy grumbled but followed without any more protests.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they were walking through the doors, Yancy felt someone watching him again. He paused and turned around, squinting his eyes as he looked over the crowd. A hand gripping his arm and tugging at him made him start walking again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you forgot something, we’ll notice at the hotel! It’s easy to just call the airport and explain the situation.” Illinois flashed him a smile, not letting go of Yancy’s arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy narrowed his eyes at Illinois but didn’t say anything, nodding in response instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After being seated in the cab, Illinois discreetly showed him his phone. With his eyebrows scrunched up, Yancy read the message on the phone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I explain on the hotel’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave Illinois a confused look and the other huffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously? You can’t appreciate a good meme?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, Yancy made sure that he was comfortable. “Show me somethin’ to laugh about, then I’ll think about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To say he was satisfied with the splutter from Illinois would be an understatement.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yancy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice sounded far away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yancy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it was getting closer. Yancy mumbled and buried his face deeper into the soft thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yancy!” A hand shook his shoulder and with a groan, Yancy opened his eye. Blinking, he found himself laying on his stomach, in bed and hugging the pillow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard Illinois mumble. “Goddamnit Yancy, how hard to you sleep?” Before the hand could shake him again, Yancy rolled to the side and gave Illinois a tired look. The man were dressed and looked ready to get out, but it was way more casual than yesterday.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do youses want, adventure boy?” He grumbled, hugging the pillow closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois chuckled in amusement. “You’ve been asleep for,” a glance at the clock, “almost 18 hours now. Do you even remember us getting to the hotel?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy blinked and turned his eyes to the rest of the room. Yeah, it was another hotel room than he used to sleep in. With a frown he shook his head and looked back at Illinois. He looked very amused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not surprised really. You were barely wake enough to get out of the taxi. Okay, get up, breakfast are about to be served and I need to prepare the last things we need for the travel. Like, picking up the car.” Illinois sits down on his bed, and Yancy can feel him watching him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t know how to drive,” Yancy mumbled and dragged the cover closer to him. He was still a bit tired and wouldn’t mind to sleep for another hour or two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He almost fell asleep while Illinois seemed to study him. But a sigh made him blink his eyes open and focus on the other properly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me your size and I’ll get some proper clothes for you. I don’t know how, but you seem to still be needíng sleep. Are you sure you’re alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “It’s hard to explain, but yeah, I’m fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois seemed to be doubting him, but he shrugged his shoulders. “Alright. I’ll go and fix the last stuff and do some shopping for you while you try to wake up.” With that he rose up and moved towards the door. But before opening it, he glanced over his shoulder. Yancy gave him a raised eyebrow. “Don’t tell people where we’re going. I’ll explain more in detail later, when you’re awake, but long story short. We’re being followed. Probably by some people who wants the relic.” Then he opened the door and went away on his errands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy stared at the closed door for a few seconds before he rolled his eyes. Seems like Illinois loved to look mysterious. But it would explain the feeling of being watched at the airport yesterday.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Deciding to not think about it right here and now, he put the alarm at nine, one hour from now, and went back to sleep.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy stared at the shirt Illinois bought him. It did look like it would fit him, but that it would be a bit tight. With a sigh, he pulled it on and yup, it’s barely leaving anything to the imagination. It’s not uncomfortable per se, but since they would be out in the jungle, it wasn’t exactly appropriate. With cautiousness, he looked through the rest of the clothes. To his relief, at first glance they seemed to fit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why the fuck did he buy one too small shirt?” With a shake of his head, he checks the other clothes and confirms what he first saw. Folding them neatly, he packs them down into the new bag he also received from Illinois. When he’s done, he sinks into the bed and stares up into the ceiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois dropped by earlier with the clothes and explained how he knew they were being followed. He wasn’t sure on why, but it was safe to say that they were after the relic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After explaining, Illinois went away again to fix the car, the food and the other necessities they would need.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So once again Yancy were left alone in their hotel room. But this time around, he wasn’t tired so sleep wasn’t an option. And nothing to do beside waiting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He listened to the clock ticking for a while before letting out a frustrated grunt. Reaching for his backpack, he fished out an old, dead phone. He’d gotten it before he went into prison. At first it was very intriguing to figure out how it functioned, but since he lost interest in it and let it run out of battery.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right now, he probably would need it to stay in contact with Illinois. At least that’s what Yancy guessed. And it probably would be the least power draining thing to use to contact an old friend of his.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With power running down his arm and through his fingertips, the phone lit up within seconds. After familiarizing himself with it once again, Yancy went to his only contact and pressed call.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It barely took 10 seconds before the call got picked up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hello? Who’s this?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> That was a voice he haven’t heard in ages. He couldn’t help but to grin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi, Jackie. It’s Yancy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yancy? Holy shit dude! I haven’t heard from you since 1894!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Jack laughs on the other end and Yancy can hear the wind rustling through the line. It makes his back itch. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>When did you get a phone? And how did you know I had one?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy snorted. “Youses way too used to Earth to not have one, Jackie. Youse been down here longer than I. And I got one when I first heard about them, but I haven’t really been needin’ it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Not needing it? Dude, where have you been? No, wait, hold on. We need to meet and catch up! I’ll just-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy almost shouts in order to stop Jackie from doing whatever he was going to do. He can imagine his friend narrow his eyes at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>... No?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He runs a hand over his face and glances at the door. “It’s not that I wanna see yous, but, uh, I’m kinda travelin’ with a human right now and it would be hard to explain youses being here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I take it that they don’t know?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Listen, I would love to meet up with yous, but we’ve to do that after the travel are done. I’m actually callin’ about a concern of mine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy can hear the wind slow down and it becoming more silent around Jackie. He must’ve stopped somewhere. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Alright, I’m holding you up to that promise. Lay it on me, what do you need help with?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath, he steadies himself. “My powers are actin’ up. I needed to alter someone people’s memories and it drained me enough to fall asleep afterwards. The last 48 hours I slept for 24 in total, and all because I cast a concealing aura around a cursed relic for a few hours.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silence on the other end makes Yancy lean forward and rest his arms on his knees, one of his legs bouncing up and down. He stilled when he heard a sigh from Jackie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>When was the last time you used your powers?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A decade ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hm. Shouldn’t be enough for you to fall asleep after wiping people’s memories. When was the last time you let your wings out?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy fell silent as he tried to remember.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yancy.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but to squirm in place. “Uh, maybe around the beginning of the 1920s?” The hiss from the other made him cross his arms the best he could with a phone in his hand. “What? It ain’t easy to pretend to be human with two fuckin’ wings on my back!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuckin’-</span>
  </em>
  <span>” a frustrated sigh from the other side- “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yancy! Don’t you ever listen when you are taught stuff?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do listen,” Yancy muttered, cheeks starting to feel hot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, that’s your problem. Your power originate from your wings. That means, if you keep them hidden, your powers will dim the longer they are gone. If not, you will find yourself getting sleepier and sleepier the more you use the power. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Especially </span>
  <em>
    <span>after if you haven’t used it in a while either. Sheesh, Yancy, a century? Maybe I should drop by anyway.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Jackie sounded frustrated, yes, but the worry was what made Yancy feel bad in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rubbing his neck, he made a mental note to make it up to his friend. “I can’t take them out anytime soon-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yancy-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-but when I’m done travelin’ with ‘im I… I try and take a flight, ok? Hell, we’ll meet up even and hang, promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why not now?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once again Yancy glances at the door. “Cuz I’ll be travelin’ in close proximity with ‘im. Can’t be gone for long periods of time without ‘im becoming suspicious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At Jackie’s questioning hum, Yancy explains the situation he’ve ended up in. Which earns him a Jackie howling with laughter. It made him relax the slightest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Alright, I get it. I’ll hold your word for it, text me when you two split up and I’ll drop by. What’s another few months, ey?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” With a chuckle, they bid each other farwell and ended the call.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>By the time Illinois returned, Yancy had been staring at his phone since the call ended. But Yancy quickly realized he was there and stood up and together they packed up the last few things. After grabbing a bite and packing everything in the car, they were on the way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The itch on his back were now a constant on Yancy’s mind, but he was determined to not let it bother him. He could deal with not using his powers now when they wouldn’t be amongst people anymore.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next chapter might take a while, since I've been feeling drained in general lately. I hope you've enjoyed this! :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Um… Sorry for the weeks of delay? Please expect this to update randomly from now on, can't keep a steady writing pace right now. Also, as of right now, this in unbetad. I just wanted to put this up, so I will come back and fix some stuff a bit later</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yancy have never been very fond of cars. He never understood enough to drive them himself and most of the drivers he ended up with were reckless. Of course, every now and then he encountered a driver who were careful and respectful on the road.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fuck!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It appears that Illinois were not one of those.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy grumbled and rubbed the top of his head as Illinois were laughing. He could swear he could already feel a bump form.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I told you to duck," Illinois snickered as he drove around a big tree root.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It ain't easy to duck in a car!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Another bump incoming!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy yelped as he once again hit his head in the roof. Cursing, he curled into a ball and held his head. When he heard Illinois laugh again, he glared daggers at him. "How come yous don't hit youses head huh?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The grin he received were michiveious and Illinois tipped his hat. "You see, that's something only experienced adventures learns. My hat are padded so it doesn't hurt as much. And I'm the driver, I can brace myself in a way passengers can't."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thought it's cuz' yous have a thick skull," Yancy muttered under his breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He received a glance from Illinois. "What was that?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy shook his head. "Nothing." Straightening up, he looks at the so called road in front of them. "And tell my why we ain't walkin' from here?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Because we won't need to carry more supplies than needed and it will shorten the time the figurine are on the wrong place."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy hummed and braced himself for the next bump. He supposed he couldn't fault Illinois too much on being a bad driver, especially if he was mostly used to almost non-roads. It was a wonder that he even had a driver's license. Not that it would be needed out in a jungle like this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence once again entered between them and the only sound was the soft music coming from the speakers. Yancy found himself humming along the songs when he knew them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm curious," Illinois began, dragging Yancy's attention to him, "you don't seem affected by the curse at all. You've been in close proximity with it for three days now and beside your weird sleep spell, you look just as unaffected by it as when I first met you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy stared at Illinois as he tried to sort his thoughts. What should he say? He can't exactly tell the truth. "I can sense when things ain't right," he said carefully, turning his eyes forward. "Like, when they are possessed. That's why I got into that room to begin with." Trailing off, he thinks back to their first encounter a few days ago. It really felt like they have known each other far way longer than that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But why isn't it affecting you? I was sure I would at least start to snap you out of some insanity spells by this time."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy shrugs. "I dunno. Things have never really affected me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The smile that appeared on Illinois lips rivaled the sun. It was contagious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Never met someone like youses, huh?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois shook his head. "No, never. I've met people with other strange abilities, but not someone with the same resistance like me. Makes it hard to find partners that can keep up with me." The smile suddenly disappeared and the car slowed down to a stop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy frowned as Illinois turned towards him, a serious expression on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Listen, I do trust you, but I got to ask. Are you working with those who are following us?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy blinked. "I- what? No, of course not!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois narrowed his eyes and after sitting in silence for a bit, he suddenly grinned. He patted Yancy on the shoulder before starting the car again and returned to driving without a word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy shook his head and looked out of the window. "I'm surprised yous didn't ask earlier."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A shrug. "I'm an excellent judge of people. You've a good heart, Yancy. And, I know a fellow adventurer when I see one."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy chuckles. If Illinois knew that he'd been in prison for the last decade, he wouldn't say that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, we’ll rest here and decide where to cross later,” Illinois said as he started to unload his backpack. Yancy hummed as he looked over the cliff. The gap to the other side were big and not easy to cross. A river were running a long way down and Yancy guessed if they got down to the river, they would be able to cross without too much problem. Of course, it would depend on how powerful the current are.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Yancy glanced back, Illinois had already made himself comfortable by a tree. A break sounded really good. Without much thought, Yancy joined him and only pulled out his waterskin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should eat too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy glanced at the sandwich in Illinois’ hands and shrugged. “Not hungry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois narrowed his eyes and Yancy couldn’t help but to rub his neck at the look he received. “Ok, listen. I know you’ve barely been eating since we left the car a few days ago. We’re burning lots of calories and energy and if you don’t replace it, you’re gonna collapse on me. And I don’t want that. So-” Illinois points the sandwich at Yancy- “take a goddamn sandwich before I shove it down your throat!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy avoids Illinois’ eyes. “It ain’t good to waste food if I don’t need it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re wasting it by not eating it. Forgetting that food spoils eventually?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that Yancy grumbles and reculantly grabs a sandwich, only glancing at Illinois after he started to nibble at it. He looked too pleased with himself. And a bit worried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why aren't you eating better? Not eating isn't healthy."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy decided to stay silent, unsure how to explain it. '</span>
  <em>
    <span>I don't need the same amount of food as you because I've been sleeping a lot lately'</span>
  </em>
  <span> would be even harder to explain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois sighed. "Just, if you're starting to feel faint or weak, just tell me and we'll take a break, ok? Your safety are more important than us hurrying forward," he said and when Yancy looked at him, he found Illinois watching the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy slowly nodded before clearing his throat. "Alright."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois flashed him a grin. "Good, now eat up and take a nap before we keep moving."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And when did yous become such a motherhen?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois' laughter made Yancy chuckle along. But he was right, a nap sounded good. After forcing himself to eat the sandwich, he made himself comfortable on the ground and closed his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt like he just drifted off when he was awoken by shouting. Bleary eyed he shot up into a sitting position but paused when something cold pressed against his forehead. Focusing his sight, he saw a woman in a grey uniform holding a rifle towards him. He glared at her and his powers tingled at his fingertips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Boss, he’s awake!” She shouted over her shoulder and Yancy carefully glanced around him. He were surrounded by people in the same uniform as the woman, most of them holding a gun of some sort and he let the power fizzle out. Too many people to take out before a sleep spell probably would hit him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His heart sank when he couldn’t see Illinois.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bring him over here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman motioned with her head and moved the rifle just far enough that Yancy could stand up. “Show your hands at all times.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cautiously, and with his hands visible, Yancy shuffled into a standing position, not taking his eyes away from her. She then pushed him around, putting the gun in his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Move.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was herded towards the edge of the cliff where four people were standing. Three who he didn’t recognize, two holding guns and one familiar face who looked absolutely livid. The sight of Illinois made Yancy relax, just the knowledge that he was okay eased his worry about the situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you look at that. Seems like you got an assistant after all,” the only person without a gun said, eyeing Yancy up and down. Yancy snarled at him. The man was fancier dressed than most of the people here, pretty obvious that he was the head of the group.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois glanced at Yancy and if the light didn’t trick Yancy, it looked like he was a bit relieved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A bit of a heavy sleeper, ain’t he?” The man continued, looking amused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck off, Stelar! Get your and your goons asses away from here! You have nothing to do with the figurine!” Illinois spat and it looked like it took every ounce of restraint in his body to not jump at the man, Stelar. The fact that two guns were pointing at him probably helped as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy were stopped a couple of meters away, the rifle still resting against his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There you’re quite wrong, Jones. You see, that little thing are worth millions when you know the right people. And a man gotta make a living somehow, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy snorted and it drew the attention of Stelar towards him. “How much are youses payin’ these goons? And why the fuck so many people? Yous scared of ‘Nois?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stelar looked less than pleased at that. “Hmpf. You don’t know a thing about exploring, do you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A grin grew on Yancy’s lips. Oh, if they only knew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Enough of that,” Stelar continued and turned back towards Illinois, “give us the figurine. We’ll get it either way, it’s just a matter if you want to get out of this alive or not.” He smiled darkly as he put his hands behind his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois simply spat him in the face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stelar looked disgusted as he wiped it away. “Knock him out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before Yancy could react, one of the people standing behind Illinois raised their rifle and hit Illinois in the back of his head, making him collapse unmoving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He reached out towards his companion, taking a step forward. “‘Nois!” Pain shot through his side as a loud bang echoed around them. Stumbling to his knees, he hissed in pain and pressed a hand against his side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Search them. Find the figurine!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy watched as they flipped Illinois over like ragdoll and began to search him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y’piece of shit,” Yancy growled, power tingling all over him and ready to be released. He needed to do something before they hurt Illinois even more-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A shout from their mini camp distracted him. “Boss! We found it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stelar looked pleased. “Ah, good.” With a click of his tongue, he walked past Yancy. “Oh, by the way. Kick that annoying adventurer over the edge.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Time seemed to slow down as one of the goons took their foot and pushed Illinois towards the edge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pain didn’t registre in Yancy’s mind as he pushed himself up and forward, eyes trained on Illinois as he got pushed over the edge. And without a single thought, he threw himself after him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The feeling of wind rushing against his skin felt like an old friend welcoming him but he didn’t-couldn’t- greet it back. Not yet, not when Illinois were just out of reach and they were rapidly approaching the water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angeling himself, he made himself fall a little bit faster, catching up with Illinois. He gathered him in his arms and held him close in a protective embrace. And without a second thought he let out his wings for the first time in a century.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The water was too close for him to get enough air under his wings to carry them both. Instead, encircled his wings around him and Illinois, turned his back towards the water and braced for impact.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pain exploded from his back and as if his blood were fire, it spread to every limb and cell in his body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opened his mouth in a silent scream and water filled his mouth.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Let's Heal Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wanna know something funny?<br/>1. This chapter have almost been finished for about two weeks. I feel like I'm forgetting something.<br/>2. There's about 3-4 chapters left, depending on if I make a seperate epilouge chapter or not.</p>
<p>(I'm sorry for being slow at writing)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A dull pain from his neck was the first thing Illinois noticed as he became aware of more than just the darkness around him. His limbs felt heavy, the pain slowly pulsated, his mind felt sluggish and all he wanted to do was to slip back into unconsciousness but the sound of rain hitting leaves made him too curious on his surroundings. He couldn’t remember going to sleep in the tent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fighting the heaviness of his body, Illinois opened his eyes and rolled to the side. He wasn’t in his tent. In fact, it was a small but rather well done shelter made of leaves and branches it looked like. Three walls and a roof, a small fire by the edge of the shelter but out of the rain, the roof tilted so the smoke wouldn’t get trapped in it. Glancing down at himself, he notice he has two jackets over himself, like a blanket. His own and he recognized the other as Yancy’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly blinking, he turned his eyes back to the fire. The crackling from the fire and the raindrops hitting the roof were a soothing sound and before he knew it, he’d almost drifted off to sleep again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He only realized someone had approached the shelter and were under the roof when the sound of wood hitting ground and other wood reached his ears. Once again Illinois forced his eyes open only to see a man carefully sitting down by the fire, wincing and wheezing a little as he held an arm around his stomach. Belatedly Illinois realized it was Yancy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy looked different, but in his tired state Illinois couldn’t put his finger on it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yancy?” It was barely more coherent than a mumble, but it was enough to catch his companion’s attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy looked up and gave him a smile but didn’t move from his spot. “Ah, youses awake. How’s yous feelin’?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Groaning, Illinois pulled one of the jackets closer and grimaced at the spark of pain the movement made. “Like I’ve been hit by a truck. What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois could feel Yancy studying him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yous look tired. Get some rest, I’ll tell yous later.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tiredness suddenly overwhelmed him and he wouldn’t been able to fight it even if he wanted to. It felt like someone tucked him in with a nice and warm blanket and he curled a little into the feeling, not noticing that he didn’t feel any pain at all. He was already dead to the world around him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Soft words with a soothing voice was what Illinois woke up to next time. Laying there, he listened to the strange and unknown words and let them comfort him. Eventually he realised that Yancy were singing, because who else would be with him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy leaning on his arms and staring at the fire was what greeted Illinois when he opened his eyes. He found himself watching how the fire lit up Yancy, all from highlighting the cheekbones in his face to his muscles in his arms. His lips moving as he sang.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Heat began to crawl up along his neck and towards his cheeks as Illinois realized he got stuck watching Yancy’s mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Closing his eyes, he listened to the song for a bit. But when it lulled to a stop, he figured that he should announce that he’s awake.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What were you singing?” He was greeted by a startled Yancy when he opened his eyes. “It was nice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy cleared his throat and shifted his eyes to the fire. “It’s, uh, just a song. From my home country, y’know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois slowly shuffled up in a sitting position as Yancy talked and gave him a curious look. “Home country? Thought you were from the US.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The grimace Yancy did as he shrugged alarmed Illinois. “Been in the US a very long time now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois hummed as he begun to shuffle closer to Yancy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In all honesty, it’s more home than anythin’ else.” Yancy looked at him when Illinois came to a stop by his side. “Uh, what youses doin’? Yous should lay down, got a pretty nasty hit in the back of youses head.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m feeling fine, Yanc. No pain at all. But I think-” Illinois said as he stared and hovered a hand over one of Yancy’s shoulders “-you’re pretty hurt yourself. If there’s anyone who should rest, it’s you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fi-” Yancy began but flinched and grimaced when Illinois lightly touched said shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Liar,” Illinois mumbled and gave Yancy a teasing smile. “It’s obvious you’ve taken care of me while I’ve been out. Let me return the favor.” At the hesitant look he almost let out a frustrated sigh. “Didn’t you ask me why I was such a mother hen? This is goddamn why. Just let me check you for injuries and then you go to bed. You look like you're about to dive head first into the fire."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It looked like Yancy was about to protest but then he simply sighed and started to slowly take off his shirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why do I keep getting partners who can't take care of themselves," Illinois muttered. When he noticed Yancy wince once again, he helped the man to take the shirt off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You know, this isn't how I thought my first time undressing you would go."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He laughed as he got smacked on his leg.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No retaliation? Damn, you're more tired than I thought."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Shut up, thinkin' are too hard," Yancy mumbled before carefully turning towards Illinois. Illinois chuckled as some tension disappeared from the air around them, he hadn’t really noticed it at first.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And he would’ve admired the chest if front of him if a stone hadn’t dropped into his stomach at the sight of bruises littering on Yancy’s torso, something looking like a healing gash on the side and completely dark blue bruises stretching towards the back. He stretched out a hand and carefully touched a bruise above Yancy’s ribs. “What the fuck happened?” he mumbled when Yancy’s breath stuttered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We got surrounded by some dudes. Knocked youses out, and then thrown into the river. Was able to get yous out, but, uh, not without some beatin’,” Yancy said and Illinois forced him not to hiss at the news.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeah, it was coming back to him. Stelar, that bastard, was the shithead that followed them and demanded the figurine. He was happy that both of them were still alive after that encounter. But if he had really been thrown into the river, had they been transported away or did they just push him off the cliff?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking at Yancy’s bruises, he decided he could think about that later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. I need to check if any of your ribs are broken or cracked, and considering how much you’ve been flinching, there’s a big possibility for that. So, this will hurt a bit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At Yancy’s nod, Illinois started to carefully press his finger over his ribs. Yancy’s grunts and flinches along with what he was feeling confirmed his suspicion. Yancy had at least one broken rib.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking up and into pained eyes, he gave Yancy a soft smile. “Yeah, you need to get checked when we get back to the civilization.” His eyes trailed down to the dark blue bruises. “And I would like to check your back as well.” With that, Illinois rose up and walked around the fire. He almost tripped as he caught the sight of Yancy’s back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All of it had the same dark blue color to it. As if he’d taken a very bad hit to his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy fuck,” he whispered as he tried to gather his senses. No wonder Yancy were wincing everytime he moved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Swallowing, he sat down behind Yancy’s tensed form. “Uh, okay. I’m not gonna touch you, that looks like it hurt a lot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It does.” Illinois barely heard Yancy’s mumble.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think the best course of action is letting you rest for a bit.” Illinois watched the back in front of him. “ You look like you’re about to fall asleep and your body might get a chance to heal a bit before we start trekking through the jungle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, Illinois helped Yancy to get the shirt back on and to get to the makeshift bed he’d been resting on earlier. Despite the broken rib Yancy choose to lay on his stomach as usual. As Illinois thought of the the gigantic bruise, he figured that it probably were for the better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy were out the moment he was comfortable, much like at the hotel. Shaking his head fondly, Illinois returned to the fire. It was still dark out and he would find something to eat when it was light.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It’s been a day and a night since Yancy fell asleep, and he was still sleeping. It probably was one of those weird sleep spells Yancy apparently got, but Illinois couldn’t help but to worry. Yancy haven’t been moving much, Illinois had to check his breathing a few times, but he seemed to be in a peaceful sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois carefully dragged his hand through Yancy’s hair, with the intent to feel for any head injuries.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at the soft curls as he twirled a lock of hair in his fingers. Yancy always had his hair slicked back, even when they’d been sleeping in a tent. Illinois have seen hints of a curl here and there in the mornings, but now it was all loose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was cute.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The head under his hand moved slightly and Illinois snapped out of his transfixion. He removed his hand and waited to see if Yancy would wake up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The head turned to the side and eyes opened up, giving Illinois a tired and confused look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Were youses runnin’ yous hand through my hair?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, you’ve been sleeping through a whole day again so got kinda worried you got hit in the head. Got distracted by your lovely curls, why do you always keep them under control with so much hair wax?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The soft groan made Illinois chuckle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why yous gotta do that now? Lemme sleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Soon. Sit up and let me check you, want to make sure nothing are getting worse.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy did as he was told, but whined while doing so. And before Illinois was able to reach out to help Yancy off with his shirt, Yancy removed it himself. He did wince, but it didn’t stop him as it did yesterday.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois frowned at that and watched as Yancy breathed more comfortably than before. “You seem to be doing better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm.” It was obvious that Yancy was still half asleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Illinois focused on the task. He carefully felt along Yancy’s ribs and while the man reacted to the touch, it wasn’t nearly as much. And the bruises were already getting yellow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The back also looked better. While it still had a lot of purple in it, there were yellow spots that indicated that it was healing. And with the color fading a bit, he could see the black lines of a tattoo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Didn’t think a tattoo of wings were your type of tattoo, Yancy,” he said as he traced the black lines with his fingertips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stopped and removed his hand when Yancy tensed under his touch. “Sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy shook his head, clearly a bit more awake now. “Just bad memories from that one,” he mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. It all looks good. You can go back to rest now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without any more waiting, Yancy laid down again and instantly fell asleep. Illinois shook his head and put the shirt and the two jackets over him as a jacket.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy slept for another day during which Illinois explored the area. He found the river that he was sure lead to the cliff they’d camped on earlier, it looked like that was the one in the distance. Clean water and food was also found, but it wasn’t as much as Illinois wanted. He hoped it was enough for the both of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois were cleaning through some of the fruit when he heard a grunt from the pile of clothes. When he looked over, he saw a pair of eyes blinking owlishly at him. “Good evening! It sounds like you slept well?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy hummed and, before Illinois could move, sat up, stretching his hands above his head. It took all of Illinois’ power to not stare at his stomach. Well, maybe he stared just a tiny bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How long did I sleep?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois snapped his eyes to Yancy’s face, smiling big to hide his embarrassment. “Roughly two days. We’ll stay for a few days until you feel good enough to walk through the jungle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That startled Illinois a bit. Narrowing his eyes, he studied Yancy. He was sporting a determined, almost pissed off, look. Like he was ready to fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because you’ve been badly hurt?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel fine. And the longer we stay here, ain’t the bad guys gettin’ futher away?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a sigh, Illinois pinched the bridge of his nose. “While that’s true, I don’t want you to hurt yourself even more. And how would you feel fine with a broken rib? That doesn’t heal in two days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It does for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again Illinois looked Yancy into his eyes. He didn’t understand why Yancy seemed so pissed, they were still alive after all. But he couldn’t deny the determination, nor the truth the eyes held.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy were an enigma.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. But the moment I see you flinch, we take a break, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Deal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that Yancy reached for his shirt and pulled it on, no hint of hesitation or pain. Illinois simply shook his head and packed down the food he’d gathered as Yancy pulled on his jacket and shuffled over to the fire with Illinois’ jacket as well. Without many other words, they packed up the few things they had, extinguished the fire and started to walk towards the way Illinois pointed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It would take a while for them to get back and even longer to track down Stelar, but as Illinois glanced at Yancy, he found that he didn’t doubt that they would succeed in getting the relic back.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Help On The Way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was a pain to write because out of all the chapters, this was the one I had no idea how to write. But I needed something between the last and the next chapter.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The water drops hit his skin in a punishing pace and it was almost scalding hot. The warmth eased up the tension that had built up over the week in the jungle, relaxing sore muscles from the walk back. Sure, Illinois were used to these kind of stuff, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get sore muscles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a way he hated it, but at the same time it was the best exhaustion there was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he still prefered to not be sore at all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When it started to feel like being under a waterfall, Illinois brought the speed down to a trickle so he could scrub himself clean from the dirt. He loved being out of the city and live on what he could find, but he couldn't deny the luxury of taking a shower like this after being out for a long time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You done?" Yancy asked from the other side of the door. With a sigh Illinois put shampoo into his hair and scrubbed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just let me rinse myself and then the showers are all yours!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois grinned at the barely audible mutter from Yancy. "Yous've been in there for thirty minutes already." Not minding Yancy's muttering, Illinois turned on the water again and let out a blissful sigh when the warmth hit him again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually he was done and after dragging a hand through his wet hair, Illinois walked out with a towel around his waist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Finally-" Yancy begun and Illinois raised an eyebrow at his companion when the sentence was cut short. Yancy was staring at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Like what you see?" Illinois said with purr and hooked his two thumbs onto the edge of the towel. It made Yancy snap out of his staring and earned Illinois a glare.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't yous fuckin' dry yourself after a shower?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois waggled his eyebrows. "Why do that when I can make my roommate drool?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy snorted. "Drool? I was tryin' not to choke on my spit of how hairy youses are."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that Illinois laughed. "I suppose I can't argue about that!" With a grin, he walked closer to Yancy that rose from his seat, clothes in his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy didn't seem to want to let Illinois say anything as he sidestepped him. Illinois frowned and grabbed Yancy's arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Let me check your back. You say you're fine, but you were badly bruised and since you refuse to go to the hospital, I want to make sure you're ok."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy weren't looking at him. "I'm fine. Youses don't need to check it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Irritation grew inside of Illinois. "Even if you healed better than normal humans, you still don't simply just walk it off!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another glare. "I do. Just lemme shower. We need to focus our time on those who stole the artifact, no? Why do you care so much about it anyway?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois were tempted to growl. "If you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> must know, I've had partners shake of injuries that seemed small, but turned out deadly. Now, let me take a look at your fucking back and make sure you won't die while in the shower."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence seemed to stretch between them as they glared at each others. Seconds passed and eventually Yancy sighed. "Fine." Without another word, Yancy yanked his arm out of Illinois' grip and returned to bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois watched as Yancy dumped his clothes on the bed and pulled up his shirt. Without looking closely, Illinois could see it had healed very good, and wasn't even close to be as blue and purple as it had been some time ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And with the back not being swollen anymore, Illinois could see the muscles working under that skin. It took all of his willpower to not lick his lips as he approached Yancy to check for injuries. Instead he focused on the now fully visible tattoo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a pair of wings, both pointing downwards and seemed to poke out from the space between the shoulderblades. No colors and no real details, only a black outline. But Illinois found it still good looking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At Yancy's annoyed voice Illinois shook his head and focused on the back itself again. "I'm gonna need to touch your back," he mumbled loud enough for Yancy to hear before he touched Yancy. He begun carefully to trail his fingers against Yancy's skin and, yup, that's some strong muscles. Taking a deep breath, Illinois pushed the thought aside and focused on feeling after injuries.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he felt nothing out of the ordinary, he told Yancy to turn around. After checking the ribs, and feeling for anything else out of the ordinary, Illinois could say that it seems like the broken rib aren't broken anymore. But probably still cracked, considering the badly hidden wince Yancy made.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay," he said and took a deep breath, "you seem way better than before. Your rib are still at least cracked so I would recommend for us to just take it easy but-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy glared at him. "No."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pushed his lips into a thin line. "I suspected that. We will need to find information about where they could've gone anyway, so I'll begin with calling Mrs. Croft while you're showering."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy nodded, and without putting on his shirt, he gathered his clean clothes and hurried into the shower.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois found himself staring after Yancy. "Damn," he muttered and ran a hand through his still dripping hair. After quickly finding the rentphone, he called the museum's number and put it on the speaker. While drying himself and putting on the clothes, he tried to figure out what to say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the phone clicked and Mrs. Croft's tired voice answered, Illinois told her the whole story.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois glanced at the paper in his hand. Mrs. Croft had sent him and Yancy an address to an apparently good hacker that might be able to help them. Emphasis on </span>
  <em>
    <span>might</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If they got the help, then it would be very pricy, but Mrs. Croft promised them that she would back them up on the cost. It was worth it to get the artifact away from the black market, just from human hands in general.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You sure this will help us?” Yancy asked beside him and with a sigh, Illinois shoved the piece of paper into his pocket. The door, and the building, looked very unassuming and Illinois would’ve just walked past it if Yancy hadn’t stopped him. It was the correct address now that he looked and he guessed that a hacker would’ve liked to live in a building people would look twice at.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s the best thing we got,” Illinois said and glanced at his companion. Yancy had a frown on his face and he was staring at the door, but nothing hinted at the uncertainty he thought he had detected when Yancy spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright.” With that, Yancy pressed the doorbell and all they could do was to wait.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A man with glasses, black hair, multi colored pyjama pants and a yellow shirt answered the door. The man raised an eyebrow at them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Not buying anything, bye," he said and started to close the door. Without thinking, Illinois shoved a foot in the opening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We're not selling anything! Really," he said hurriedly when the man frowned at him. "We're just looking for a Mr. Byrne. We were told that this was his address. Are you perchance him?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're at the wrong address. There's no Byrne here, nor is there anyone like that in the neighbourhood. Leave," the man said and pushed Illinois away before closing the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Rude," Illinois muttered before he scratched the back of his head. "Well, either we try to convince that we need help or we're really at the wrong address." Looking beside him, he watched Yancy's dissatisfied expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"By all means, this should be the address." Without waiting for him to answer, Yancy stepped forward and knocked on the door instead and was met with a glare when the door opened again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What the fuck, dude? This is the wrong address, leave me alone!" the man growled and crossed his arms. Yancy glared back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Listen, we seriously need the help. Something was stolen from us and we'll pay for the help," Yancy said with conviction and Illinois couldn't help but to smile. He was really lucky to have stumbled upon Yancy in the beginning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man checked them out, eyes going up and down before they narrowed. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you," he said and begun to close the door again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy let out a hiss and an unfamiliar word, something that sounded like the song he sung that day in the jungle, and ran a hand through his hair. Illinois sighed and was prepared to turn around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But the door never closed and the man was staring with wide eyes at Yancy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What... what did you say?" he asked with a low voice. Confused, Illinois looked at Yancy only to see him looking back, just as confused. The man cleared his throat and the door was pushed open. "Never mind that, please come in."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy's back was tense as he stepped into the hallway. Illinois put, what he hoped, a comforting hand on Yancy's shoulder. He knew that this could be a trap but he was certain that the two of them could get out if anything would actually happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were lead into a living room and the man motioned them to sit down. He sat down in an armchair and didn't seem to mind when neither of them took the offered seats. "Name's Oliver. I can't promise anything, but what did you need help with?" He looked at Yancy expectantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois cleared his throat and stepped forward, cutting the man's, Oliver's, view of Yancy. "What the sudden change of heart, Mr. Byrne?" He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oliver's eyes flicked between him and behind him, probably at Yancy, and he seemed conflicted. "Listen, do you want the help or not?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not wanting to look a gifted horse in its mouth, Illinois sighed and straightened his back. "Over a week ago we got robbed and a valuable artifact was stolen. We need help to track it, and the thieves, down," he explained. He didn't let Oliver out of his sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oliver still seemed conflicted, and he was good at hiding it, but Illinois were better at reading people.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually Oliver sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I'm honest when I say I'm not Mr. Byrne. But-" a glance at Yancy "-I can go and get him. If he helps you, be prepared to pay </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He's not cheap, you know?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The tension in the room seemed to ease a bit. "We're prepared to pay the price," Illinois said with a nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, Oliver rose up and disappeared into a room connected to the living room. They stood there in silence for a few seconds before Illinois heard Yancy sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yous sure this is a good idea?" he mumbled as Illinois turned around. Illinois couldn't help but to smile at his friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, we gotta try. And it seems like we're on the right place. Though I find it curious on why he let us in after you spoke in that language, which I really wanna hear you talk more if it's anything like that song."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A smile tugged on Yancy's lips and Illinois found himself slowly getting lost in it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I fuckin' told you I didn't want anymore clients!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois blinked and looked towards the door Oliver disappeared into earlier. The voice sounded very annoyed and Illinois supposed that he couldn't blame him. He didn't hear Oliver's replay but it wasn't needed as they stepped through the door. In stepped a man with neon green hair, dressed in black from head to toe and a scarf around his neck, despite the fact that they were inside and it was quite warm. After him came Oliver, looking sheepish.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay, listen, I don't know what Oliver promised you but I can...'t-" the man begun as he gave them a sour look, but he trailed off and froze on the spot when he got a full look on them. His eyebrows rose up in surprise as he stared with wide eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois raised an eyebrow in response and stared at the silent man. "I'm sorry if we're interrupting something?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then the man spoke in a language Illinois didn't understand, but one he was starting to recognize as Yancy's mother tongue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois glanced back at Yancy who was staring at the newcomer with wide eyes and he seemed to hesitate before he answered in the same language. The man shone up and began laughing before he jumped right back into speaking, way faster than before. Yancy seemed to relax and spoke just as rapidly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois took a step back as Yancy walked past him and got closer to the man. He shook his head and watched amused as the two talked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I've never seen Anti </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> talkative," Oliver's voice came from beside him and Illinois looked at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's good?" he asked and Oliver nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You will probably get that help you need. Not sure why you want us to play detectives since there would be cheaper options, but you won't need to worry about not finding it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois grimaced. "Yeah, figured. So, when you say we-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anti's voice interrupted him. "Alright! Let's go down to our archive and do what we need to do." The man twirled around and gave Illinois a wide, almost too wide, grin before he walked into the room he came from.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois shared a quick look with Yancy who only shrugged and followed Anti. Illinois and Oliver did the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He must say that he was impressed. There was a hidden round staircase behind a bookcase which lead down to a basements filled with computers and servers. Four people looked up when they entered and Illinois did a double take when he saw three of the people resembling Oliver uncannily much.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Quadruplets," Oliver said with a grin and walked over to an empty desk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come with me," Anti said and lead them through the servers until they reached a more isolated room. Illinois didn't miss the curious looks the other four people gave them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So," Anti begun as he sat down in an office chair and spun once before stopping turned towards them. "You got attacked by bad guys who took an artifact that will make humans go insane?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois raised an eyebrow at Yancy who gave him one shoulder shrug before he nodded towards Anti.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, and we need to get it back so we can return it to its original place. It's too dangerous to be around in the black market," Yancy explained and Illinois found himself nod along the explanation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anti hummed and glanced at Illinois. "And you," he begun and trailed off when Yancy shook his head. That made Illinois frown.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What?" He looked between the two men but they didn't seem to want to explain. "Fine, keep your secrets," he grumbled and crossed his arms. But when he felt something bump against his shoulders, he looked to the side to see Yancy smiling at him. Illinois gave a small smile back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A snort made him look forward again and Anti seemed amused. "So, you got any clues I can work with? The more, the better. I will find anything, it's just a matter of time."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anti seemed so sure of himself and Illinois explained everything he knew about the artifact, its price and Stelar and his goons.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spent the rest of the day in that house and were offered to sleep over as well when Anti kept on working. One of the others, Bing was his name apparently, cooked food for them all and explained that this will be included in the price.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois didn't mind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was well into the next day Anti came up from his place by the computers with a map in his hand. He gave it to Illinois with a shrug of his shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"This is all I could find" he said and judging by the small stack in it, Illinois was sure that it contained everything that existed about Stelar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I put the price and where you should place the money in a letter at the end of the papers. Don't wait too long to pay, or I will get the money myself." Anti gave him a pointed look as he said it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Illinois didn't doubt it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then Anti turned towards Yancy with a grin and said something in their mother tongue to Yancy who tensed and frowned. But Illinois didn't miss the faint blush on his cheeks or Anti's widening grin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And one last thing," he begun and turned his eyes back to Illinois. "Don't tell anyone about our operations. It will be much easier for all of us."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course. We won't tell anyone."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, they bid farewell to the hackers and traveled towards the hotel they would be staying at.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had enough information to formulate a plan on how to get the artifact back. And Illinois felt confident that they would be able to do it.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Wings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is one of the chapters that made me want to write this story to begin with! :D Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"They were quick to sell it, huh?" Yancy muttered beside him as they looked at the manor beneath them. Illinois had to admit, this dude must be rich as hell since the house was one of the biggest he'd seen beside the old ones that got turned into a museum. The garden was well taken care of and the amount of, what Illinois suspected authentic, statues was impressive. The manor was quite some ways from civilization and in the middle of a forest but it was heavily guarded. He was sure that there were two guards by the gates and he could see a camera on the fence(?) and he had no doubt that they went all around it and there would be even more inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To say that this would be a risky operation would be an understatement. But they had to get the artifact, and Anti had promised them that he would help them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You sure that Anti put the cameras on a loop?" Illinois asked instead of answering Yancy's non-question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy huffed but nodded. "Yeah, I'm trustin' him. He's a good guy."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois hummed in thought as he mulled over Yancy's words. That would mean it would be a lot easier, not to mention safer, for them to break in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy had been surprised when Illinois said that was their solution. After all, even though they are returning the artifact to its original place, Mrs. Croft's museum still owns it. They were just stealing back something that didn't belong to that guy anyway. And they were saving everyone in that building in the process.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a nod, he glanced at his partner. "Ready?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mischievous grin on Yancy's lips was something he wanted to see more of. "Ready."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois had seen a bit of Yancy's agility when they had been trekking through the jungle but watching him climb the fence certainly impressed him. Yancy knew how to do that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As for himself, it was no big deal either. He'd done that plenty of times. But dodging cameras and guards patrolling the yard and inside the house? He was ready to admit he didn't have as much experience in that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was easy at first, the yard held many hiding places for them and they got into the manor by slipping through a backdoor. But finding the artifact was an ordeal bigger than they thought. There were statues, artifacts, relics and scripts all over the place and they had no idea where to begin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois thought the man would have a room with his prizes, but he was obviously wrong on that account. It honestly looked more like a museum than a home in his opinion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy and Illinois shared a look and began to slowly traverse through the manor in search for the monkey artifact.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To be honest, the place unnerved Illinois a bit. He'd always loved museums, the mystery behind each and every relic and artefact, the history of it all. It had a warmth that always felt like home to him. But this manor was cold in his opinion. Hostile even.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a shake of his head, Illinois focused back on the task. The sooner they found it, the better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But time dragged on and with it Illinois' frustration grew. Normally he wasn't this easily riled but constantly watching his back and hiding fried his nerves more than staring death in the eye. Breaking into temples and dodging traps were just as easy as breathing for him, but that was because those places were devoid of any human life. Breaking into houses where people lived, that were walking around while he was there, was something else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"'Nois," said Yancy somewhere behind him, voice stiff and guarded. It made his blood run cold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mentally cursing, Illinois slowly turned away from the cabinet he was inspecting to see that guards had sneaked up on them and that they were pointing guns at them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Up with your hands where we can see them," one of the guards said and Illinois and Yancy had no other choice than to follow the order.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were six of them, but only five of them were pointing their guns at them. The sixth was on the phone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, we got them cornered. Shall I call the police?" she said as she was eyeing them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A clump got stuck in Illinois' throat because he knew if the cops were to come, they wouldn't listen to him or Yancy and not take a closer look at the stolen goods inside. So he opened his mouth and let whatever thought he had out. "You know, the law is on our side. This manor contains stolen goods and my employer knows where we are and if they get the news of us getting arrested, you will be in deep trouble."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the corner of his eyes he noticed Yancy shifting, but his full focus was on the woman with the phone. She glared at her and opened her mouth but Illinois continued on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That painting there? Belongs to the museum of Rivael. The statue with the bow belongs to Areath. Everywhere I look there are stolen property from museums! You will-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes sir, we'll take care of them," the woman snapped and put the phone away. Illinois swallowed against the clump in his throat and glanced around him. The guards were lifting their guns and all Illinois could do was to prepare for a fight with an outcome that looked very grim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Kill them," the woman said as she spun around on her heels and began to walk away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fuck-!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"'Nois!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shots rang through the air and Illinois tried to duck but something was constricting him and he couldn't get away and-!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pain never came and Illinois stared straight ahead, seeing something white and black, </span>
  <em>
    <span>was that feathers?</span>
  </em>
  <span>, before he realized that Yancy was hugging, no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>covering</span>
  </em>
  <span> him with his own body. And that a pair of wings were surrounding them both.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned his head a little to stare in awe at the soft looking feathers in front of him and he tried to lift a hand to touch them, but a groan of pain sounded in his ear and he changed his view to the side of Yancy's head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yancy?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The arms around him loosened and Yancy leaned back, face pale and an expression of pain written all over it but when they locked eyes, Yancy gave him a small smile. It was obvious an attempt to comfort him but Illinois didn't like it one bit. It just made him worry more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"'m fine, 'Nois. Promise," Yancy said with a shaky breath. The wings around them twitched and eased away from them as they were pressed against Illinois and Yancy. Illinois glanced at them and as Yancy took a step back, he realized that the wings were </span>
  <em>
    <span>attached</span>
  </em>
  <span> to his partner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His thoughts were halted as he heard clicking and he was reminded of the situation they were in. He let out a curse and  looked around him but the wings were blocking his view which meant he saw Yancy's eyes darkening. It sent a shiver down his spine and for the first time he felt almost afraid of Yancy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But when Yancy threw his arm out and a staff appeared in his hand, the small fear was replaced with curiosity. And when he turned around, his wings flared out and showing just how big they are, also forcing Illinois to duck in order to not get hit by them, Illinois' breath hitched as he marveled at the sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He snapped out of it when he spotted red dots, five of them, and when he saw them growing. Fear gripped his heart and he reached out to stop Yancy from moving, he was badly hurt, but then Yancy were moving and Illinois have never seen such a sight,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy hissed, his wings lowered as he straightened his back even more, his staff running along his arm. Shots rang out and Illinois were sure Yancy would get hit, but with a spin of the staff all of the bullets fell to the ground, harmless. One of the guards yelled out a panicked scream and Yancy threw out his free hand towards the person, silencing them and making them collapse. One was fumbling with their gun and Yancy disappeared and reappeared in front of them, hitting his staff in their stomach and making them collapse into a wheezing pile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His wings moved up and looked tense, ready to strike and Yancy turned around to face the three guards that were left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois stared with wide eyes as Yancy let his staff go, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and it hovered in place</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and threw both his hands towards two of the guards. The guards tensed before their faces went slack and they fell to the floor. The last guard looked horrified and turned on their heel and Yancy simply grabbed his staff and threw it towards the guard, hitting them in the neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It fell silent after the final guard fell to the floor with a thud and Illinois was trying to process what he had just seen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy had wings. And some type of power over the human body considering how the guards just collapsed with an outstretched hand. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>wings</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois turned his eyes towards Yancy and his wings were slowly getting lowered. Then Yancy groaned and took  a few tumbling steps forward. Illinois cursed and ran over, barely able to catch his friend before he hit the floor when he collapsed. Yancy's body was shaking and heavy breaths, some ending up as coughs, wrecked through him, his wings twitched whenever he coughed but otherwise they were motionless. Illinois held him close as he stared at the five bullet wounds that were still bleeding, two on the right wing and three on his back, and tried to figure out the best way to get out here without making Yancy's injuries worse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glancing down at Yancy's pained expression, he licked his lips. "Okay," he began and slowly shifted Yancy in his arms, "I think I know how to get out of here. It's gonna hurt like hell when I move you, but you got to stay with me, okay?" He knew he was rambling a bit, but it helped him to stay focused. Stopping the bleeding before he moved Yancy was a priority though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What he wasn't prepared for was the hand grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him slightly forward and when he looked down he was met by a furious looking Yancy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't yous fuckin' run away now, go and get that stupid monkey," he hissed through gritted teeth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You just got shot five times, it's a wonder you're still alive!" Illinois hissed right back. He couldn't believe him right now, he was injured and he just wanted Illinois to search for a goddamn item?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A snort cut of his thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll be fine, 'Nois. This won't kill me," Yancy said, voice softer than before. The cough that followed didn't exactly convince Illinois.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You keep saying that, you know," Illinois mumbled and brushed away a lock of hair from Yancy's forehead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"'Cause it's true," he said and with a grimace, he sat up. His right wing twitched but didn't move up into a more comfortable position like the left one. "Nothin' can kill me here, y'know. Sure, it hurts like a bitch, but it ain't deadly."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't care if you're an immortal or not, you're hurt and we're getting out of here!" Illinois said as he rose up to his feet and prepared to lift Yancy up. But as Yancy gave him a hard glare, he felt something tug at the back of his mind. He needed to find the artifact.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll live, Illinois. Go and get the statue so this trip didn't go to waste. I'll heal. Just prop me up against a wall." Yancy's voice left no room for argument. Illinois opened his mouth to argue anyway, the words on the tip of his tongue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright," came out instead. And Illinois felt himself help Yancy get closer to a wall before turning around and walk away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was pissed and no matter how much he fought himself, he couldn't find it in himself to return to Yancy. So he gave in to his urge to search for what they came for to begin with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With the anger boiling inside of him, he only took quick glances in each room he entered and determined that the artifact wasn’t here. And each guard he crossed got a nice imprint of his fist in their face. He got to give it to them though, most of them actually reacted to him to at least be surprised before he knocked them out. By the time he reached an important looking door, his knuckles were pulsating in dull pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the door was a name imprinted, ‘Mr. Rowen’. The name of the man owning the manor and the one that bought the artifact. He growled at the thought of the egotistical man, if it weren’t for him, Yancy wouldn’t have gotten hurt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois gripped his whip and pushed the door open. A man, pale from terror, stood behind a desk and pointed a gun at him. A movement in the corner of his eye made him react.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He blocked the baseball bat swing with the help of his whip, tensing it between his hands. The baseball bat slid towards him and Illinois caught a glimpse of a surprised face from the woman earlier. They were close now and with a flick of his one wrist, the whip snared the woman’s wrists and he pulled her hands above her head, stepping behind her and wrapped the other end of the whip around her neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Illinois peeked around the woman, he saw the man shaking. He let out a growl and pulled at his whip a bit more, making the woman gasp as she was getting lightly strangled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now listen up,” he growled and gave the man a hard stare. “I will give you two choices. One. You give me the monkey statue and let me and my partner leave without any trouble. Or two, you refuse and I will not only harm you physically, but I will also call the cops and expose your little dealings with the black market. And trust me, I know enough about the legal system to make sure you won’t be able to bride yourself out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man swallowed and glanced to his side, making it obvious he wouldn’t let Illinois and Yancy go. Just as the man dropped the gun and dived to the side for an escape route, Illinois untangled the woman and flicked his wrist and a snap sounded through the air, followed by a scream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man collapsed to the floor and held his face and as the woman turned towards Illinois, he kicked her in her side. She bent down and Illinois’ knee hit her face, knocking her out. He then turned around to the whimpering man on the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They always choose the hard way.” With a shake of his head, he walked over and grabbed the front of the man’s shirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C-curse you!” The man spit, a line bleeding across his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois gave him a sharp smile as he raised his fist. “Have fun in jail.” With all of his power, Illinois let his fist connect with the man’s face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he was sure both the man and the woman were knocked out and tied up, Illinois finally took a look around the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were several glass shelves against the walls, filled with several different statues and artifacts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With everything being as neat as it was, it was easy to find the monkey statue. After smashing the glass, Illinois couldn't help but to scowl at the troublemaker as he grabbed it. "Now you stay put," he grumbled as he roughly shoved it into a small bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Giving the two unconscious people on the floor a glance, he walked past them and hurried down the halls where Yancy would be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His heart stopped as he saw Yancy sitting on the floor, leaning on the wall with closed eyes, wings gone and unmoving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yancy!" With long running steps, Illinois was quickly by his partner's side and collapsed to his knees. Yancy was sitting in a small puddle of blood and Illinois felt tears gather in his eyes at the sight. He lifted his shaky hands and carefully touched Yancy's cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A groan left Yancy as he turned his head away from the touch and his face scrunched up in pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took all of Illinois' willpower to not throw himself at Yancy and potentially hurt him more. Instead he smiled a bit and let out a relieved laugh. "I thought you died," he said with a shaky breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Jus' lemme sleep," Yancy grumbled and weakly swatted away Illinois' hovering hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Illinois stood on his feet and put one arm across Yancy's back and the unders his knees. With a steadying breath, Illinois lifted Yancy up, earning a surprised yelp.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What the fuck?" Yancy exclaimed before wincing in pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry, Sugar, but we gotta get out of here. You can sleep in the car while we get you to the hospital," Illinois said as he steadied himself and Yancy before starting to walk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy grunted as he seemed to make himself comfortable in Illinois' arms. "No, no hospital. They ask too many questions," he mumbled before letting out a content sigh as he seemed to curl into Illinois' warmth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illiois hummed in thought. "You're right," he answered after a few moments, checking that the coast was clear, "this would be hard to explain. And your wings." He had almost forgotten the spectacular sight of those when he had seen Yancy on the floor. After a careful look, Illinois opened the door leading outside with the help of his elbow and hurried down the driveway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But," he added as they got closer to the gate, "when we get to the hotel you will let me take a look on your injuries."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All he received was an acknowledging sound, but Illinois wasn't sure if Yancy had actually heard them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of talking more to the now sleeping man in his arms, Illinois hurried towards their hidden car.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of water filling the sink was the only sound grounding Illinois to the current situation. His mind was filled with the memory of two protective arms around him and blood covered hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why can't yous just let me sleep?" Yancy complained only to follow his words with a yawn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois glanced over his shoulders and over to the bathtub.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One the edge sat Yancy, only in his underwear, his back covered in blood and still bleeding wounds. Beside him was a pair of pincers and still unopened bandages.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Because you're still injured and blood is hard to clean away from beds, and we're only renting this room," he replied as he turned his gaze back to the sink and closed the taps.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can just," Yancy said and waved with his hand before he looked accusingly at it. As if he thought something would happen when he did so.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois grabbed a disposable towel and dipped it into the warm water. "Alright, I'll begin to clean the blood off around the wounds to see how bad they are. Then I'll focus on getting the bullets out before wrapping them up. Maybe even stitch the wounds beforehand. It will hurt and I apologize in advance."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, Illinois set to work. Beside the occancially grunt and whine of pain, it was silent between the two of them. Illinois let his hands work on routine, being too used to patch himself up, as his mind was blank.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn't until he had wrapped the bandages around Yancy when the thoughts of a wounded wing entered his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced at the partially visible tattoo of wings on Yancy's back. "Can I see your wings?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before him, Yancy stiffened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois let out a sigh. "Your wings are hurt too, I need to wrap them as well."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"If yous just let me sleep, I'll be healed the next time I wake up," Yancy grumbled as he turned around, making Illinois lose sight of the back and the tattoo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suppressing another sigh, Illinois looked into Yancy's eyes. He looked so uncomfortable and vulnerable. Illinois gave him a soft smile. "I just want to make sure everything heals correctly. I don't know how you make them disappear, but surely it must be uncomfortable with the wounds," he said as he raised a hand to carefully cup Yancy's cheek. "I care about you, Yancy. I don't want you to be hurt more than necessary, even if you heal fast."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy averted his eyes as a guilty expression overcame Yancy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay," Yancy said, barely louder than a whisper, and turned back around. "You might want to back away for a bit."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois did as he was told and watched in fascination as black and white wings unfurled from Yancy's back. The wings were big, and the top of them, and closests to Yancy's back, were white and the strange pattern on them were black. But as Illinois looked closer at the wings, he realized that it wasn't simply a strange pattern, but that it resembled flames engulfing the wings. As if the wings had once upon a time been burning. And the edges of the pattern looked more like an ashes gray than completely black.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thought made Illinois unease, but he pushed them away to focus on his task. He quickly spotted the two red dots on Yancy's right wing and carefully pulled the wing down from its high position as Yancy seemed tense.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yancy, you got to relax," he said as the wing didn't allow him access to the wounds at the first careful tug. He heard a slow exhale before the wing was lowered. The left one twitched, but didn't follow its twin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The feathers were soft under his touch, although a bit ruffled. If he didn't have to focus on patching up the two bullet wounds, Illinois was sure he would've loved to get lost in the feeling of them under his fingers. Very much like Yancy's hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head and reached for the towel in the sink. "So," he said as he wrung out most of the water from the towel, "how come you have wings? Sure, I've met strange people in my travels, but I have never met someone that didn't seem human."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silence that filled the room made Illinois' heart sink. He'd messed up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well," came Yancy's voice and Illinois immediately perked up, "youses right 'bout that. I ain't human. Think your kind calls us 'angels'."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Illinois focused on his task he couldn't help but to feel excitement run through him. "Angels? Does that mean that the christianity is right? About god and the devil? What about heaven and hell? What are you doing here if-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The wing under his hands was snagged away and Illinois had to stop what he was doing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Chill, youses askin' too many questions," Yancy grumbled and only gave Illinois the wing back after he had apologized. He didn't speak up again before Illinois returned to his task and seemingly not interested in asking anything more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I have no idea what the ever livin' fuck all you humans religions are. I might have a human appearance, but I'm not human in the slightest."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois let out a questioning hum, but he didn't dare to voice the actual question. He let Yancy continue to talk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm not a part of any religion. I'm a being on my own, unrelated to any human. It's like, we live in a separate realm where the world's rules are different than here. Everyone can fly and have some type of magic. Mine is mostly bound to mind manipulation, but I also can do minor object manipulation."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois let out a whistle and dropped the towel to inspect the wounds. He needs to sew the wounds. "And this whole sleeping thing? And the healing and the 'sensing stuff'?" He grabbed the needle and the thread once again and set to work.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Part of my powers. 'Cause I ain't from around here, this realm's physics doesn't count to me. I can't get killed by someone from this world. As for sensing stuff, everyone would be able to sense when something comes from their own realm." Yancy flinched and let out a hiss when Illinois started to sew. "As for sleepin', my powers are bound to my wings and the more I have them out, the less sleep I need. Rather, less energy I need. But the more I have them out, the more I require sleep and food in order to keep healthy. I can't kill me and won't take away my powers completely, but it sure makes them harder to use."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"... So, you're sleeping a lot because you haven't had your wings out in a while?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Kinda. I get sleepy the more I use my powers if my wings haven't been out in a while. Can do fine if I don't use my powers at all."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois hummed in thought and finished sewing the wounds. As he reached for the towel again to clean one last time, a new question entered his mind. "How come you're here then and not back at home in your own realm?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The left wing sank from its previous high position and got pulled closer to Yancy. As if he was ashamed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"... I got kicked out."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois' eyes snapped to the back of Yancy's head, eyes wide. "What?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I got kicked out of my realm. Happens if you do somethin' stupid. And if yous get kicked out, you can't get back in."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh." Unsure what to say, Illinois finished cleaning and put bandages on the wounds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A snort came from Yancy. "That's an understatement," he grumbled and hung his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is that why you hide them? Because they remind you when you got kicked out?" Illinois knew he shouldn't have asked that the moment the question left his mouth. "Sorry, that was a stupid question, don't mind me-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Partially. Sure, I'm missing some people over there, but I couldn't give a fuck about the rest. No, it's more.... about the state they are in." The last part was not louder than a whisper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois' hands dropped to his lap as he was done with his work. Instead, he let his gaze wander and inspect the wings. Hesitantly he raised a hand. "Does it have something with the fact that they look burnt?" He touched a black part of the left wing as his thoughts mulled over what he'd been told. Noticing the coarse feeling of the black feathers, he let the hand travel up to the white section and their softness. He didn't notice Yancy's breath hitch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I, uh, yeah... Passing through the veil between our realms kinda sets yous wings on fire and sends you plummeting towards the ground," Yancy mumbled but Illinois heard it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He carefully ran his fingers through Yancy's wing, straightening the feathers and not getting enough of their softness. "Did it hurt?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy's wings twitched. "What?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Did it hurt when you fell?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois didn't notice the silence he received, entranced by the sight before him, until he heard a snort. He turned his head towards Yancy and met his amused gaze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is youses hittin' on me?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Realizing what he said, Illinois splutters and snaps his hands to him in order to hide in them. He lets out an undignified sound of embarrassment and he hears Yancy laugh loudly. Peeking between his fingers, he was greeted by the sight of Yancy smiling big and brightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I must say, your other ones were so much better," he said in between laughs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois could kiss him right then and there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The only reason he didn't was when Yancy's laughter got cut off by a yawn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright," he said as he stood up, trying to will his blush away, and gathered the materials. "I've been keeping you up long enough, go and get that sleep you need. I'll clean up in here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sound good," Yancy said with another yawn. Illinois caught the frown he gave his right wings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sleep with your wings out tonight so you won't mess up my patchwork. It sounded like you need them out anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah yeah, stop being a mother hen," Yancy grumbled as he stood up and Illinois had to step back in order to not get hit by the wings when Yancy struggled out of the bathroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was kind of cute.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he focused on his task, cleaning the bathroom from any blood. Once he was done and had taken a shower, he was greeted with the sight of Yancy out cold on his bed, left wing snuggled close and covering most of the bed while the right wing was stretched out over the edge of the bed and covering good portions of the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chuckling, Illinois carefully made his way to his own bed without stepping on the spread out wing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fell asleep to the sight of twitching wings and a peaceful look on Yancy.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Flight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you everyone for you patience. I hope you will enjoy this final chapter of Burnt Feather. You can find me on tumblr under the same username</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The air was heavy and moist, just like a cellar in an old house. But that comes with the temple being inside a hill, and the doors being closed and thus capturing the air inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you want to do the honor?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy gave him a look as Illinois held the statue out to him. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wiggling the statue a little, Illinois gave his partner a big grin. “The honor of returning our lovely guest to its rightful place? Let me tell you, it’s such a satisfying feeling when you get to give something back to where it belongs." His grin didn't drop as Yancy kept staring dubious at him, and when Yancy finally sighed and grabbed the statue, Illinois couldn't be happier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cautiously Yancy approached the pedestal, holding the artifact as if it would bite him any second. Nothing happened, seeing that Illinois made sure that there would be no traps surrounding the pedestal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But when Yancy finally placed the small statue down, something in the air changed and Illinois felt like he could finally breathe again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well done, partner."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy slowly turned around to face him, eyes full of surprise at the change. "Wow."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I know, right?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Worry shot through Illinois when Yancy wobbled and needed to support himself on the pedestal. He took some steps forward and reached out a hand. "Yancy?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy shook his head and gave him a dopey smile. "Is this how drugs work? Man, this is the highest I've ever felt," he said with a giggle and a slight slur in his words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chuckling out of relief, Illinois took the last few steps in order to end up by Yancy's side. "Alright, let's get you out of here. Don't need a high angel on my ass," he hummed and Yancy simply giggled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The walk out of the hidden temple wasn't much of a struggle, beside Yancy leaning on Illinois like a drunkard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they got to camp and turned in for the night, Illinois couldn't find it in himself to deny the feathery cuddles Yancy wanted. Laying half-way in their sleeping bags and the other half on each other, Illinois couldn't help but to take deep breaths and take in the sleeping angel's scent. Dirt mixed with rain, a bit sweaty and something Illinois couldn't put his finger on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But the thoughts drifted away as Yancy pulled him even closer and tried to cover them both with his wings and Illinois smiled fondly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fell asleep feeling the safest he had in many years.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There is one place that Illinois rarely goes to, and it’s the harbor. The salt in the air, screaming seagulls and ships covering the beautiful view wasn’t something for him if he would choose. But this is where his feet dragged him as his mind drifted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois knew he needed to return to the hotel soon so he and Yancy could say goodbye properly, but he couldn't find it in himself to do so. He didn’t want his time with Yancy to end so quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shouts from people working in the harbor were all around him, momentarily reminding him of where he was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a frustrated sigh, he ruffled his hair and effectively pushed his hat to rest around his neck. They had absolutely no reason to stay together, especially since Yancy probably had some angel business somewhere in the world to attend to and Illinois was just going to take a vacation now that the job was done. How would he even be able to ask Yancy to join him without making it sound weird?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey, I'm planning to take a non-adventure trip, want to join me and chill?" Yeah, no, you don't ask someone you met a month ago on something like that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A booming voice from behind him made Illinois jump. "Sure!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Turning quickly around, Illinois was greeted by a giant of a man with a beard to match. "Oh, uh, I was just talking out loud," he said and scratched the back of his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man regarded him before beginning to laugh. "Ah, ya seem like the pinnin' type! Wouldn't ya just say that to the lass? Surely she wouldn't say no!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's less 'lass' and more like 'lad'," Illinois mumbled before he shook his head. "We met a month ago. He has no reason to follow me on a vacation."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man hummed before he thrust his hand in front of Illinois' face. "I'm captain Magnum! Say, ya seem to have some trouble on ye mind. Let's talk over a drink!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was how Illinois, an hour later, found himself onboard a large ship similar to the old ships that usually belong in museums with a drink in his hand. And on the other side of the table the captain of the ship was laughing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ye had a grand adventure together and yet ye don't think he would spend more time with ya?" Magnum said with a smug smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To be honest, Illinois felt a bit silly at that. "Yeah."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It merely made Magnum laugh even more. "Now listen up, lad. Ye go back to that siren of yours and tell 'im that the two of ye are gonna get a trip on the ocean."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois could see the mischief in Magnum's eyes and he wasn't sure if he could trust the man. "Listen, I appreciate the offer, but it's kind of complicated."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"More rum to me!" Magnum suddenly shouted and within seconds one of the doors opened and through the door came, what Illinois only could describe as a ghost, carrying a bottle of rum. It left the bottle by Magnum's side before it disappeared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Illinois stared after the ghost in silence, Magnum opened the bottle with a loud 'pop'.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I have an eye, ye see,-" Magnum took a big swing from the bottle- "for things that ain't right. Ye ain't right just as I. Go and get ya lad, I'll be waitin'."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Illinois still hesitated Magnum reached over and patted him on the shoulder. "I promise, ye two ain't getting in harm's way. Ya can keep sailing with me as long as ye want, takin' it easy. Now go and let me drink until ye come back."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Illinois rose up. "I don't understand why you would just give an offer like that to a stranger. But thanks."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Magnum raised his bottle with a grin as Illinois turned around and left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois had someone to talk to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once again, Illinois couldn't get over the sheer size of the ship. When Magnum first brought him aboard he noticed it was big, but without the giant of a man to compare the ship with, it seemed even bigger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Are yous sure this is the place? Looks like it'll need a huge crew to work." Yancy sounded hesitant, just like when Illinois offered Yancy to follow him out to the sea. Perhaps even more so.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bumping his shoulder against Yancy's, Illinois gave him a soft smile. "Come on, do you trust me?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy glanced at him before sighing. "Well, yeah, but yous said that there wouldn't be a lot of people. A ship like this? I know how many are needed," he said and motioned to the ship in front of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not thinking about it, Illinois reached out and grabbed Yancy's hand, giving it a squeeze. "And I always keep my promises. Come, meet Magnum and then decide what to do. If you don't want to stay, we'll walk away."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright alright," Yancy grumbled and Illinois gave him a bright smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come on!" Illinois tugged on their joined hands and pulled Yancy towards the boat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The moment they stepped on board, a booming voice greeted them. "Ah, welcome, friends!" Illinois raised his free hand to greet Magnum.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Magnum beamed at them and motioned them closer. Not really thinking about it, Illinois tugged at Yancy's hand again and walked closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So, ye ready to sail?" Magnum asked as he handed Illinois and Yancy a drink. Illinois accepted his without hesitation and Yancy grabbed his as well, just not as trusting as Illinois.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yancy wanted to look at the ship before deciding if he wanted to come with or not. Hope it's not too much trouble for you," Illinois said with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Magnum let out a laugh. "Of course, let's take ye time! After all, yer here to take it easy." He then turns fully to Yancy and examines him. Illinois was reminded that they were still holding hands as Yancy tightened his grip but before he could feel embarrassed about it, Magnum let out another loud laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah, now I see what's haunting ya!" He thrust a big hand in front of Yancy with a grin. If Illinois was going to be honest, he kind of wanted to pout when Yancy released his hand to shake it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Name's Magnum, and I'm captain of this ship! It's been a long time since I saw one of yer kind. I hope you will travel with us, yer boy's quite worried about ya."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy spluttered and Illinois wasn't sure if he wanted to melt into a puddle or kick Magnum for that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We, uh, we ain't a couple," Yancy mumbled as they shook hands. "Name's Yancy. And you said yous met my type before?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes, the angel type. The gal saved me, ye know, and it's thanks to her I'm out at sea! Now, come, I'll show yer rooms!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they were shown the ship by a very excited captain, Illinois noted how Yancy was relaxing as the minutes passed. It made him happy, and when the tour was done they were already talking about how nice a vacation from the recent adventure would be very nice. A few hours later, the 'crew' was out and the ship had left the harbor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was fascinating to see the ghosts work, but it was stunning to see how relaxed and happy Yancy seemed to be. When it was time to go and sleep, Illinois really didn't want to. Magnum only looked amused by this but shooed him off the deck anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While disappointed, Illinois knew that he would still see Yancy when he woke up. It helped him to fall asleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of waves hitting the hull of the ship was one of the best things to wake up to in Illinois opinion. It was rhythmic and slow, almost making him sleepy again as soon as he woke up. It was just heavenly to be able to lay in bed and listen to it despite having listened to it for a week now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This morning was no different compared with the previous ones. It let him lie there and stretch, listen to the song of the sea as his mind drifted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When his thoughts began to drift to black and white feathers, Illinois forced himself to get out of bed with a blush slowly making its presence known.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I need to stop that," he mumbled as he rubbed his cheek in a weak attempt to make the blush go away. Shaking his head, he stood up and got dressed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he got out he was greeted by the sun shining in his face. With a groan he lifted his hand to shield his eyes and a booming laugh sounded from somewhere on deck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Morning, captain," Illinois said as he let his eyes adjust to the bright light.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Morning lad," Magnum greeted and lifted his glass when Illinois approached.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Seen Yancy anywhere?" He asked as he let his eyes scan the deck. Ghosts of the crew were moving around and working. It was a fascinating sight to see them interact with the world. The few ghosts Illinois met through his adventures had never interacted with the world this much and when he'd asked Magnum about it the man had simply shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Eatin' breakfast, as ya should be as well! The weather ain't goin' anywhere," Magnum said with a grin. Illinois shook his head with a smile before thanking Magnum and going to the dinner room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There the sight of Yancy eating a small breakfast greeted him. It made him smile even bigger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yancy!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The angel raised his head and smiled as Illinois walked over to him. "Slept well?" He asked when Illinois sat down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah. While it's not like camping in a jungle, it beats a hotel everytime. It's so soothing," Illinois said as a ghost appeared by his side with food.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy nodded. "It's certainly calmin'. I even fell asleep last night despite me being full of energy."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois let out a whistle before he took a bite of his food. "The sea is really something, huh."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A silence entered between them as they enjoyed each other's company while they ate. It reminded Illinois of the times they sat around a campfire in the evenings, food long gone and just before they would turn in for the night. The fire would spark and one of them would comment about something they saw and usually it caused the other to laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Youses starin'."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois blinked and felt the earlier blush return with vengeance. He coughed into his hand as he tried to come up with an excuse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I, uh, eh," he stumbled and the blush only intensified as Yancy looked smug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An idea hit him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Today is gonna be a nice day! So, I was just thinking you should let your wings out!" Illinois blurted out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy's smile slowly disappeared. Illinois cursed himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I mean, you told me that your powers come from your wings, right? Maybe you should have them out more than when you're sleeping," he hurried to add.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy crossed his arms and looked to the side. "I know. It's just, when I'm out in the open I get the urge to fly."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The prospect of seeing Yancy fly made Illinois' heart skip a beat. "Then why don't you?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blush on Yancy's cheeks was cute.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I... haven't flown in decades," Yancy mumbled as he refused to look at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois slowly processed what Yancy just said before he smiled softly. "It's just you, me and Magnum on the ship. And no one else for miles. You can try?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I... suppose."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking care not to slam down his bowl, Illinois stood up with a grin. "Great! Come on!" He said as he reached over and grabbed Yancy's hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy looked surprised as he got pulled alone. "W-what? Now?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes! It's never the time like the present!" Illinois pushed the door out to the deck open and dragged Yancy to an open area. He ignored the curious look from Magnum and kept all of his focus on Yancy. "Go on," he said encouragingly with a soft smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy still looked hesitant.  "What if-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois lifted up a finger to Yancy's lips, effectively silencing him. "One step at a time, okay?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two big wigs appeared behind Yancy and Illinois' eyes immediately got locked on them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can't get over how beautiful they are," he said as he lifted a hand to touch them. A clearing of a throat made him pull his hand back and look down at Yancy who had blush on his cheeks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You don't touch someone else's wings without their consent," Yancy mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah that-" Illinois glances up at Yancy's wings- "makes sense. Sorry." He takes a step backwards and gives Yancy room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay." The wings stretched out to their full length before curling slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois can't tear his eyes away from the wings as they begin to move slowly. Then Yancy jumped up into the air, the wings made one beat and made Yancy hover for a split second before he fell down to the deck with a groan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yancy!" Immediately was Illinois by his side, minding not to step on the wings that was twitching.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's just some cramps," Yancy groaned and Illinois let out a breath of relief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Perhaps, lad, ya should train them up again?" Magnum suggested. Illinois looked over his shoulder and at the captain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good idea," Yancy agreed and sat up. Illinois moved backwards a bit to let him have some space.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Time to begin the training then," Illinois said with a grin and Yancy simply shook his head, but a smile on his lips showed that he didn't mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois certainly didn't.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So," Illinois began as he watched Yancy stretch out his wings, "think you'll be able to fly today?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy hummed as he rolled his shoulders. "I've been tranin' almost every day for two weeks now. I will at be able to fly a small way."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay," Illinois said as he moved his weight from one foot to the other. He was nervous, it's been quite a lot of frustration from Yancy when he kept failing at keeping himself in the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A brush of feathers against his arm made him break out of his thoughts. He blinked and focused on Yancy standing in front of him with a grin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Relax, I ain't gonna fall to my death. If anythin', I'll get wet. honestly though, I feel good about today."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois chuckled. "Sounds like I will get quite a catch later then."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy rolled his eyes and hit him in the shoulder. "Shut up." Then he stepped back and walked to the railing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nervously, Illinois took a couple of steps after Yancy, but not letting himself get closer or otherwise he might get knocked over by the wings. From this place he watched as Yancy climbed up on the railing and stretched the wings one more time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Moment of truth," Yancy said before he jumped down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately Illinois runs over to the railing, but as he reaches it, Yancy shoots up and flies past, wings pushing him upwards with strong beats.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois woops and smiles as he hears how Yancy is laughing. He lets out a chuckle of relief and leans against the railing as he watched Yancy fly. It was truly a magical sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not a very long sight though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After what felt too soon, Yancy turned back towards the ship. Illinois took a step back and held out a hand as Yancy landed on the railing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"'Nois!" Yancy said with laughter as he gripped Illinois' hand and fell into his arms, causing them both to fall down. Illinois wheezed at the impact, his hands coming to rest on Yancy's hips, but Yancy kept laughing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I flew! I'm strong enough! I flew!" Yancy beamed down at him, his arms on either side of Illinois' head lifting him up a bit and his wings moving up and down in excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, I saw," Illinois said with a smile as he looked into Yancy's proud eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly a pair of lips was pressing against his, a hand cupping his cheek and Illinois felt his brain short circuit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yancy broke the kiss and grinned down at him, his wings moving up to cover them. "Thanks for the help."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Illinois opened his mouth and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to speak but no words came out. Heat crawled up along this neck and soon he felt like he was burning, making him shut his mouth completely. Above him was Yancy laughing before leaning down and pecked his lips. Again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Youses cute like that," he mumbles as his thumb stroked Illinois cheek. Illinois spluttered and hid his face in the crock of Yancy's neck. It only caused Yancy to laugh more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"For bein' such a flirt you're easy to fluster!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Shut up," Illinois grumbled as he laid down his head against the deck again and looked at the angel above him. A prettier sight was hard to come by.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A glint of mischief appeared in Yancy's eyes. "Make me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that Illinois laughed before moving his hands from Yancy's hips to his cheeks. "If you insist." Then he pulled Yancy down into a kiss. Yancy relaxed against him and returned the kiss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If there was a wolf whistle somewhere, Illinois promptly ignored it. For now, all that existed was Yancy.</span>
</p>
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